Bonaire Or Belize folks?

[Big O]

Im probably going to either Bonaire or Belize with Natasha.

Which place do you folks recomend and why?

Tell me about the topside and the diving!

Thanks,

Dave

 

[herman]

Never been to Belize so can't comment on them, but I have been to Bonaire in 99,2k,01,02 and got reservations for 03 so you can tell I like the place. The diving is super easy with lots of med to small fish with some turtles thrown in. Not too many big fish or wrecks if that's what you like. I am hooked on the shore diving. I can go when and where I want and set my own dive profiles. ...none of this come back at 1500psi BS. There are 80-90 marked shore diving spots that you simply back your truck up to (some places the parking spots are no more than 10 ft from the water), gear up and dive.
There is not a lot of night life but plenty of good places to eat and the people are friendly. The food and water are safe to eat/drink, unlike some places. If you are looking for wild nightlife, Bonaire is not the place you are looking for. If you want to eat/sleep/dive then it is.
I don't find Bonaire very expensive. Our meals run in the $5-9 range for lunch and $9-15 for supper. No doubt you can eat cheaper or more expensive but that's our average...a bar tab will run the cost up.
Knowing Natasha, I suspect either place is going to be a blast.

Herman ...WM I

 

[leadweight]

There is more night life in Ambergris Caye, and probably more fun. If TACA has a sale, getting to Belize will cost much less than the transportation to Bonaire. Bonaire definitely has better diving with more fish diversity and a mix of shore and boat diving. At the end of the dive there will be a shallow place to play around while at Ambergris the minimum depth will usually be 50 feet. Finding a place to stay in Bonaire can be a bit of a a challenge as they are overbuilt with 2 bedroom condos that are priced for two couples to share. You don't need a car in Ambergris, but you will probably need onw in Bonaire, especially if you want to check out the shore diving. No shore diving to speak of at Ambergris. I will be trying out the Belize Agressor this year, and see how that goes.

 

[Sandfill]

Being a new diver, I don't have much to compare with, but if there
is a better place to dive, eat, sleep, I don't know what it would be.We just got back this weekend from a week in Bonaire, staying at Buddy Dive, and we couldn't have had a better time.All the above posts are what we experienced there also. You can't beat walking out your back door for night dives that revealed new things every night. As was mentioned, there is not alot of big stuff, and just the Hilma Hooker for a wreck, but the reefs and smaller fish are spectacular. 22 dives in 5+ days. Can't wait to go back.

 

[blawler1]

Like Herman, I have never been to Belize, but I have been to Bonaire three times and am scheduling to go again.

True, there is not an abundance of night life in Bonaire, but it can be found (it has 2 casinos, a good beach bar Karel's and a disco) and if that isn't enough, you can always take the ferry (about $55 round trip) over to Curacao which has plenty of casinos, night clubs and night life (and plenty of good duty free shopping)

Diving makes Bonaire special as nowhere in the Caribbean offers comparable shore diving options. Another consideration though is the infrastructure, which means you can count on the electricity and drink the water. Dutch precision is apparent.

 

[Asweptwing]

Bonaire has great diving and the ability to shore dive gave us a flexibility we had not previously experienced on our dive trips away from the states.

HOWEVER, I do have to add that our rental truck was ransacked by locals at three separate dive locations over our seven day trip and from reading other sites this was not an isolated event. The losses to property were small but the reaction to our attempt to file a police report from the locals has probably forever altered our inclination to travel there again.

We plan to try Belize next.

 

[herman]

Don't know when you were there but they caught a guy a while back, seems like Jan time frame. That should help matters.

 

[HookedonSCUBA]

I got back from Belize last week. One week in Placencia and another on Caye Caulker. I never made it to Ambergris, but everything I heard down there is that it's too developed already. Lots of condos/timeshares/developments. Caulker was a very relaxing island. We took our shoes off and never put them back on until we were getting back on the plane.

The diving was pretty good. The boat rides can be long but worth it. The boat ride is 2 hours each way to the Blue Hole, but that dive and the other two around Half Moon Caye while you're out there are some of the best dives I've been on. And you get to see dolphins on the way out and back.

I've never been to Bonaire but I have been to Curacao. I would go to Belize again before going back to Curacao.

 

[Barracuda2]

I've been to Belize 4 times aboard the Aggressor and will be back for my 5th trip in just 4 weeks Here's why I like the diving so much: The top of the reefs are only about 30-40 ft. They are teeming with life and much of the reef topography is spectacular - cuts, crevasses. sand shoots, swim-throughs, etc. The relative shallowness, to the top of the reefs allows you to take some breathtaking trips down the walls. We would always moor with our stern right over the drop-off allowing us to dive the reef or the wall. I shoot a lot of video and never get tired of the diversity of images Belize diving offers. And of course, The Blue Hole---there's a rush for you!:wacko: I'm not much into night life so I can't really comment on that activity in Belize City. I will say it's like stepping back into time when you tour the city. They just got their first stop light just a few years ago. However, there are some neat shore activities to do. A cave tubing trip down the sacred Mayan rivers is a cool experience. You sit in a tube and drift in and out of caves, sometimes leaving the sight of entrances and exits, thus the reason for wearing a miner's head lamp. Mayan ruins are also available if you're into that. I'm sure there's probably more. I travel there for one reason--diving---so far one of my favorite places. Can't say much about Bonair--haven't been there but I hear that the diving is pretty good.

Barracuda2

 

[zippy]

I can only comment on Belize, as I haven't been to Bonaire.
I was on the Nekton pilot a few weeks ago, and I have stayed on lighthouse reef.
If you are going to go to Belize, I would recommend either a live aboard or one of the out resorts, Lighthouse Reef Resort or Blackbird. The best diving is out on the atols and they are a pretty good ride out from shore.
That being said, Lighthouse reef is my second favorite spot to dive after Little Cayman.

Just my .02